Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s "After" is a reflective and introspective poem that contemplates aging, the passage of time, and the shifting nature of experience and expression. With his characteristic minimalist style, Creeley succinctly conveys a sense of acceptance and resignation, moving away from the intensity of youthful emotions and towards a more detached, reflective perspective on existence. The poem juxtaposes past and present, while also challenging the boundaries between inner feeling and external reality.

The opening line, "I’ll not write again things a young man thinks," immediately sets the tone for the poem. It signals a departure from the concerns and expressions of youth, suggesting that the speaker has moved beyond the thoughts and emotions that once defined him. The refusal to write "things a young man thinks" implies that the speaker has gained new insights with age, recognizing that the intensity of youthful feelings may not hold the same weight or significance in the present. There is a sense of self-awareness in this line, an acknowledgment of how one';s perspective evolves over time and how writing, as an extension of the self, must also change.

The phrase "not the words of that feeling" underscores the speaker';s distance from his former self. Creeley’s use of "that feeling" is deliberately vague, allowing readers to infer a range of intense, perhaps passionate, emotions associated with youth—love, anger, longing, or idealism. By choosing not to revisit these feelings in his writing, the speaker suggests that these emotions no longer resonate in the same way or that they lack the authenticity they once had. There is a desire to move past the romanticized notions of youth and engage with the present moment as it is, without the embellishments of youthful passion.

The next lines—"There is no world except felt, / no one there but must be here also"—explore the idea of perception and experience. The notion that "there is no world except felt" suggests that reality is subjective, shaped entirely by one';s sensory and emotional experiences. The external world has no meaning without the internal experience that gives it context. Similarly, "no one there but must be here also" blurs the boundary between the external and internal, emphasizing that the people we encounter in our lives are inseparably tied to our own subjective experience. The world, then, is not an objective entity but a deeply personal one that is shaped by how we feel and perceive.

The poem continues with a reflection on the convergence of time and physicality: "If that time was / echoing, a vindication / apparent, if flesh / and bone coincided— / let the body be." These lines suggest a longing to reconcile past experiences ("that time") with the present, yet they also reflect the difficulty of doing so. The word "echoing" implies that the past reverberates into the present, influencing the speaker';s current state of mind. The "vindication / apparent" hints at the idea that certain experiences, particularly those of youth, may once have seemed meaningful or justified, but now they may lack the clarity or significance they once held.

The phrase "if flesh / and bone coincided" suggests a desire for physical and existential unity—a longing for a sense of wholeness or harmony between body and being. Yet, the conditional "if" implies uncertainty, as if this unity is elusive or unattainable. The line "let the body be" can be interpreted as an acceptance of the physical self as it is, without the need for transformation or justification. It reflects a resignation to the body’s natural course, perhaps acknowledging the inevitability of aging and the limitations of physical existence.

The closing lines—"See faces float / over the horizon let / the day end"—evoke a sense of detachment and acceptance. The image of "faces float[ing] over the horizon" suggests that the people and experiences of the past are receding into the distance, becoming less distinct and more ephemeral. These faces are no longer immediate presences but have become part of the landscape of memory. The instruction to "let the day end" conveys a sense of finality and closure, suggesting that the speaker is ready to let go of the past and embrace the end of a chapter. There is a calmness in these words, a willingness to accept the passage of time and the inevitability of endings.

"After" is a poem that captures the essence of Creeley’s mature poetic voice—sparse, reflective, and introspective. The poem explores themes of aging, the subjective nature of experience, and the acceptance of the body’s limitations. By distancing himself from the emotions and thoughts of his youth, the speaker embraces a more nuanced and contemplative view of the world. Creeley’s use of minimalist language and fragmented imagery reflects the difficulty of expressing the complexity of human experience, particularly as one moves away from the certainty and intensity of youth. Ultimately, the poem suggests a quiet acceptance of the passage of time and the inevitability of change, finding peace in the acknowledgment of life’s transience.

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